How Boneshaker Maybe, Might Have, Could Have Ended
by majormiryti
Summary: An alternate ending for Cherie Priest's excellent book, Boneshaker. MAJOR SPOILERS inside.


Briar Wilkes was frustrated.

It was bad enough living in the Outskirts with her son, Zeke, and having a ruined reputation for being Leviticus Blue's widow, but Zeke had run off into the walled-up city of Seattle trying to find the 'truth' about his father. Yes, boys were bound to do stupid things like that from time to time, but since Levi's Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine had released the Blight on the city...Zeke was just plain idiotic. He had risked accidentally breathing too much of the contaminated air and becoming a rotter just to find out what Briar should have told him years ago -

That his father was a genius, but a crook.

That his father had used the Boneshaker to rob a bank and - though Levi had sworn he didn't know about the gas -release the Blight.

That his mother had shot her husband when he told her to run away with him or die.

But she hadn't said anything, and look where that had gotten her-on a quest to find her son and get out as quickly as possible. That, in turn, had led her here, to Dr. Minnericht's office, where the doctor was trying to pass himself off as Leviticus.

"I want to see my son," Briar said, "I won't believe you until I do. You said he's safe, now prove it."

Minnericht was silent, staring at her and drumming his fingers on the desk.

"And you might as well say it. Say what you're implying so strongly, unless you don't dare-and I think you shouldn't. Half your power over the people here comes from that mask, and the confusion. They fear you because they aren't certain whether you're Leviticus Blue or not."

"And you're certain I'm not?"

"Quite."

He rose from his chair with such force that it rolled out from under him and hit the desk. With his back turned and his gleaming mask facing the faux fireplace, he said, "You're a fool. The same fool you've always been."

She kept her seat, and kept her grim tone intact. "Maybe. But I've survived this long in such a state, and maybe it'll keep me a little longer. So say it, then. Tell me who you are, or who you're pretending to be."

His coat flourished when he whirled around to face her. Its hem scattered papers on the desk and caused the crystals on the desktop lamp to tinkle like wind chimes. "I am Leviticus Blue-your husband then and still, who you abandoned in this city sixteen years ago."

Briar shook her head slowly. "I didn't abandon Levi here," she said softly. "If you were really him, you'd know that."

He pounded his fists on the desk. "Curse you, woman! How do I prove it to you?!"

"You can't," she answered flatly.

The blue eyelights on his mask flashed. "Your father hated me."

"Levi was a crook."

"You thought I never really loved you. I know because you talk in your sleep.

"The only thing you really fear is losing the ones you love.

"If we ever had a daughter, we would have named her Heather, because you always liked that name.

"Your middle name is Alice.

"You're secretly a fan of penny dreadfuls.

"You're fascinated by shiny objects.

"Your favorite color is yellow!"

Briar sat still, shocked. For an impostor, Minnericht was good. "How...how do you know?"

"I'm _Leviticus Blue!_ Your _husband!_"

"I _shot_ my husband!"

"Aha!" he cried triumphantly. "A confession!"

"And since I shot him," she continued, ignoring the doctor, "he's _dead._ End of story."

"Briar. You of all people should know that death isn't always the end here in Seattle."

"Well, it was for Levi."

The doctor shook his head. "I didn't want to do this, Briar..." He reached up and took off his mask. Underneath it was...

An ordinary man's face. But Briar gasped anyway, because that ordinary face belonged to none other than her husband.

"But-but-the money, and-I shot you, and-_what?!_"

Leviticus grinned. "First off, you didn't shoot _me_."

"Then _who?_" she scoffed. "A clone?"

"No, it was that Joe Foster fellow. You know, the one who drove his wife mad. People always said we could have been brothers."

Briar was miffed. "I'd like to think I'd know my own husband when I saw him."

"It was late at night; you'd be forgiven for making a mistake."

"But what was he doing in our house?"

"Simple-he wanted the money."

"Oh, of course, the money..." She rolled her eyes.

"And that's the other thing, Briar." Levi fidgeted. "I didn't steal it because I'm a crook."

She bit back a laugh. "Oh?"

"No. I stole it because...because I'm a kleptomaniac. I can't help but steal things." He collapsed in his chair, as if the confession had exhausted him.

Briar gave him a skeptical look. She was beginning to suspect that her husband had gone insane. Either that, or had formerly been involved in a theater group. "Right. Where's my son?"

Levi waved his hand. "Down the hall. Third door on the left."

She left without a glance back at him.

Ezekiel was not, in fact, in the room, but was walking the halls with a gas mask in one hand and a chicken leg in the other. Mother and son had a tearful reunion, then darted to make their escape before the doctor decided to send his men after them.

They hadn't counted on the rotters, though.

Apparently, the friends Briar had made on her quest decided to finally get their revenge on Minnericht-Leviticus-and let the rotters invade _his_ parlor. Levi's army had their hands full with both rotters _and_ rebels, but both foes were putting up a good fight. The rebels had come prepared with their own weapons, and the rotters...well, they were the living dead. They couldn't care less who they attacked, as long as they got a meal out of it.

Swakhammer spotted Briar and Zeke watching the mayhem from the stairwell. "_You found him!"_

Briar aimed her gun at and shot a rotter. "Yeah, I did. No time, can you get us out?"

He nodded. "_Come out, I'll cover you._"

They ran out, both able to hide behind Swakhammer's massive form. Zeke took one of his guns, and the trio slowly made their way toward the door.

Until one of Levi's soldiers shot Swakhammer, the bullet hitting in just the wrong place and downing him.

Briar's first instinct was to check on her friend, make sure he was alright, move him to safety, but Zeke's elbow in her gut brought her back to the situation at hand.

The two of them fought back-to-back, shooting soldiers, rotters, any enemy who got in their line of fire. The undead were the main problem, shuffling in closer and closer all the time. It was a nightmarish sight.

Briar fired her last shot, hitting one in the eye. She didn't have time to reload, and Zeke's gun had run out as well. At least she had survived this long, and she'd found her son...and they would at least die together.

Zeke screwed his eyes shut as a rotter invaded his personal space. He expected to feel its teeth biting into his skin at any time-

But it never happened.

He opened one eye cautiously to see a man in front of him, grabbing the rotter by the neck and snapping it in two. Over and over, he attacked the creatures, either killing them or getting them far enough away.

He elbowed Briar again. "Mother! Mother!"

She punched a rotter in the face, then whirled around. "What is - _Levi?!_"

Sure enough, Dr. Leviticus Blue was there, sans mask, fighting the undead.

"Levi, what are you doing here?"

"If you thought I'd let my son join the ranks of the living dead," he grunted, "You're even more of a fool than I thought." He cursed as one bit his ungloved hand, but socked it anyway.

Suddenly, there came a shout from the other side of the room. "Cover your ears!" Lucy's voice called.

Briar's eyes widened, and she clapped her hands over her ears as Zeke and Levi slowly did the same.

The air pulsed and the rotters and remaining soldiers were stunned out of their wits as the Daisy gun went off.

"All clear!" Lucy shouted again after a minute.

They uncovered their ears as Lucy and Squiddy came running over. The older woman enveloped Briar in a hug, while Squiddy looked suspiciously at the doctor.

"So, it really _is_ Leviticus Blue."

Levi didn't answer; he just stared ahead blankly.

Briar frowned. "Levi, we told you to cover your ears." She looked closer at his eyes and gasped.

"What is it?" Lucy asked.

"He...he's got the same look as Hank did when his mask fell off, when he breathed in too much Blight."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Did he get bit?"

Zeke nodded. "On his hand."

"Spreads faster now, then." She shook her head.

"Isn't there something we can do for him?" Zeke looked at their faces frantically. "He's my _father!_"

Lucy looked at Briar, who hung her head. "Only one thing."

"I'll do it if you can't," the older woman offered.

"No, I will. You and Squiddy go take care of Swakhammer."

Lucy nodded and handed her something, then the pair went to see to Swakhammer.

Briar looked at her son. "I'm sorry, Zeke. I should have told you everything before."

Zeke didn't respond.

Levi's eyes were completely glazed over now, and his formerly perfect posture had deteriorated into a pathetic slump. If she was going to do this, she'd have to do it fast.

But why was it so _hard?! _He'd never loved her, not really!

In her mind's eyes, though, she could still see the man she'd fallen in love with and married, the one who made her beautiful trinkets and light fixtures for their home...and who had saved their lives.

"Mother..." There was worry in Ezekiel's voice. The rotters were beginning to stir.

She shook her head fiercely to clear her mind and raised the handgun Lucy had given her. "Goodbye, Levi."

The bang echoed in her ears as her husband fell to the floor.

This time, Leviticus Blue really was dead.

Briar and Zeke ran for the lift without looking back.

They eventually found Captain Cly, who flew them out of Seattle while Briar told her son the whole story of the Boneshaker. Now that she thought of it, Levi's kleptomania excuse did make a little sense-she'd noticed some of her things going missing before the Boneshaker incident, but he'd never said anything about it when she brought it up.

That didn't mean she entirely believed him, though.

Cly flew them as far as he could - Ohio - then said farewell, and if they ever needed anything, they were to contact him first, no one else. Briar wasn't exactly sure how that would be accomplished, since he was in Seattle and they were in Cincinnati, but she agreed anyway.

And so the Wilkes' began their new life where nobody knew them. Zeke decided to take his father's name-Blue-and if anyone asked him about it, he knew what he'd say:

That his father was a brilliant scientist.

That his father had practically been king of Seattle.

That his father had died saving Zeke and his mother.

Yes, that sounded good to him.


End file.
